


Smoke and Mirrors

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Episode: s02e10 Noël
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-06-09
Updated: 2001-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-15 07:57:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Josh only has one more week as Acting Chief of Staff but a hurricane,  a contentious senator and Sam seem to be trying to make it as difficult as possible. Sequel toBig Shoes





	1. Smoke and Mirrors

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

The characters herein are not mine and remain the sole property of people like Aaron Sorkin, NBC and Warner Brothers. Think of them as a library book. Here is the much-requested sequel to 'Big Shoes' which I hope lives up to its predecessor. Spoilers for "In Excelcius Deo", "Noel" and the "Pilot" Words to O Canada available on request, and just for the record our capital is Ottawa not Toronto, tell your friends. Thanks very much for reading- BG

Smoke and Mirrors  
By The Bondi Gargoyle.

The phone pierced through the still morning. Groaning Josh reached for it without opening his eyes. "What?"  
He listened for a minute "Yeah okay, I'm on my way in. Who else has been called? Good. No bring Charlie Young in but tell him not to wake the President 'til I'm there. Thanks"  
He hung up and rolled over onto his back. He fumbled for his watch and glanced at the luminous dial.  
"This is why I have no sex life," he muttered. "I have yet to meet a woman who loves me enough to tolerate being habitually woken up at this time of the morning."  
He picked up the phone again and hit the speed dial, calling the one woman who seemed to put up with it.  
"What do you want, Josh?" she mumbled into the receiver.  
"Is that how you always answer the phone?"  
"At..." he heard her pause as she looked at a clock "three am, it is. Do we have to go in?"  
"Afraid so. I'll pick you up in twenty-five minutes."  
"You don't have to."  
"Isn't your car still with the mechanics?"  
"I'll take a cab," she yawned.  
"By yourself at three am? No I'll come get you." He hung up before she could argue and headed for the shower.

Donna was waiting just inside the front door of her building when he pulled up.  
He leaned over and opened the car door, accepting one of the two travel mugs of coffee she was carrying.  
"I didn't think Starbucks would be open this early," she explained  
"The Shell station on the corner has coffee."  
"Which tastes almost as good as drinking their gasoline."  
Josh took a grateful swig and just about choked.   
"How much sugar did you put into this?"  
"That one must be mine, yours is black and you're welcome."  
He smiled "Sorry. Thank you." They traded mugs. He sipped it more tentatively this time but when the untainted coffee slid across his palate he gave a heartfelt sigh.  
"I've noticed something" he commented as they drove through the near empty, but never quite quiet, Washington streets. "Since I became Acting Chief of Staff you've started bringing me coffee."  
"Yes."  
"Why?"  
"Well for a start, there's a coffee maker on the filing cabinet in Margaret's office."  
They still referred to the spaces they worked in by the names of the usual occupants.  
"So?"  
"So I can make and bring you coffee without anyone seeing it."  
"So this all about appearances."  
"It's not all about appearances, but I don't feel the need to perpetrate the stereotype of what a personal assistant does any more than is necessary"  
Josh considered this. "If, when we move back to our own side of the building, I were to put a coffee maker on the filing cabinet next to my desk would you make me coffee?"  
"Why would I walk from my desk, into your office, to make you coffee, when you could reach it yourself by merely standing up. If you put a coffeemaker on your filing cabinet, I'll expect you to bring me coffee."  
"Don't hold your breath."  
"Instead of turning this into an argument, why don't you just appreciate it while you've got it?"  
"What's the fun in that?"   
They grinned at one another.  
"Tell me something." Donna said sinking back into her seat, "Is there a reason we're going into work at this ungodly hour, a mere four hours after we went home? Or are you just testing my professional devotion?"  
"Hurricane Taylor made landfall in Cuba."

"But we already have guys on the ground there!" Sam was close to yelling.  
"Who?" Jack Davidson, the Defense Secretary lobbed back at him.  
"The marines at Guantanamo Bay."  
"Absolutely not! Taylor hit the guys at Gitmo too. They're digging themselves out, let alone helping anyone else. Furthermore, even if they're fine, they are the last ones we are sending in on an aid mission."  
"Why?"  
"Because the minute they cross the fence line, it's going to seen as an act of war."  
"You don't think Castro's going to understand that it's a relief exercise not an invasion"  
"I don't think Castro trusts us any further than he can throw us, with some historical reason. All of which is moot Sam, because we haven't yet determined whether we can actually send aid to a hostile nation" said the Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America and the Caribbean, George Leolo, in a more conciliatory tone than his colleague had used.  
Josh looked at the President who rolled his eyes and looked skyward. They had been in this meeting for about an hour but it was a variation of the same meeting they'd been having all day. So far, no one had come up with anything new.  
"We're talking about sending aid to a relatively poor country that's just been made poorer by a catastrophic natural disaster" pressed Sam.  
"We're talking about sending aid to a country that once pointed nuclear weapons at us and dared us to cross the line in the sand. People haven't forgotten that." Davidson argued back.  
"They were Russian Missiles" Sam countered hotly "We give aid to Russia."  
"They were Soviet missiles" corrected Josh, "And we don't give aid to the Soviet Union, we give aid to the people of the former Soviet Union."  
"It's a hurricane Josh, they have no homes, no drinking water, it's a hell of a time to ask them to suddenly embrace Capitalism."  
"I don't disagree with you Sam, but Congress might, not to mention the American public. And as the Secretary just said, we aren't even sure if Castro will accept aid from the U.S. even if we can make our people fall into line."   
"What if we went through Canada?" Toby asked, not for the first time  
Leolo shook his head "You heard MacCready, he says it smacks of Iran-Contra"  
"MacCready aside, I think there's a difference between a weapons deal involving a shadow army opposing a freely elected government and giving food and medicine to a population who have just been hit by a hurricane," Toby growled.  
"Unfortunately you don't chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and MacCready does" said Davidson.  
"MacCready doesn't scare me."  
"Well perhaps he should. Furthermore there are some serious and legitimate legal questions as to whether we can give aid to a foreign power to spend on our behalf." Leolo reiterated for what had to be the fourth time.   
"Yeah because you just can't trust those Canadians. They might just keep it and use it to buy new snowmobiles which they'll later use to invade Wisconsin."  
"Wisconsin doesn't actually share landfall with Canada"  
"Sam!" Toby hollered  
"I'm just saying with snowmobiles they'd be better aiming for Minnesota or North Dakota. If they wanted Wisconsin, they'd use boats."  
"I ask for international relations, I get National Geographic" the President declared, his temper waning   
"Okay," Josh jumped in. "Time out. Let's all take a break here. Go back to your various offices and try and think up an argument that we haven't already discussed eight times today."  
"But Josh-"  
"Sam."  
Josh glanced at CJ who nodded, and headed for the door taking Sam and Toby with her.  
"You used to be more fun" Sam declared as he walked past Josh.  
"Bite me"  
"And funnier. You're wit and your devil may care attitude have both suffered of late."  
"I'll live. Go stare at a map of Cuba for an hour then come back"  
"I have an idea," The President said once they were alone in the office "Let's just send all of them to Cuba."  
"I thought you wanted to help the Cubans" Josh said straight-faced though his eyes twinkled.  
"That was this morning. Now I just want to stop the pounding inside my head."  
"I'll have Charlie bring you an aspirin."  
"Yeah that and change the locks. You'll..."  
"Run interference until someone has a tangible idea?"  
"Thank you."  
As Josh headed back into the Chief of Staff's office, Jed Bartlet mused on how surprisingly well the apprentice had taken up the sorcerer's wand. When Leo had first become ill, Bartlet had been nervous (though no where near the flat out terror he suspected Josh had felt), worried about how he would cope without his closest advisor. In the months of his friend's convalescence, however, the President found himself growing to trust Josh and now felt almost as comfortable with the younger man at the helm as he had with Leo.

Unaware that he was the subject of any speculation, Josh walked into, what was temporarily, his office.  
"Donna?" he called through the open door to his assistant's desk, "Can you get me the-"  
"Files on U.S. foreign disaster relief for the last twenty years." Donna walked though the door and deposited the stack on his table.  
Josh stared at her. "I'm going to start calling you 'Radar'. You're getting seriously spooky"  
"Josh."  
"No I mean it"  
"Gee Josh, have you had a meeting all day that hasn't involved the hurricane? It didn't exactly require a crystal ball to know that you needed these."  
"True. Hey is anything interesting going on in the rest of the world? We have been a little myopic today."  
Donna handed him the wires.   
"Do you count the fact that food chemists in Sweden have determined that artichokes reduce the chance of impotency in roughly 35% of men, as interesting?" she asked.  
"If I did, I don't think I'd admit to it."  
"How about a protest against the protection of beavers in Michigan?"  
"By who?"  
" 'Friends of the Michigan Muskrat' whom they feel was passed over unfairly."  
"This is all that's going on in the world?"   
"This one could be interesting. In the Ashes Test Match, England was all out for 117 in the first innings while Australia declared at 345"  
"And what are we talking about?"  
"Cricket"  
"Can you explain what any of that means?"  
"No. Should I call Lord Marbury?"  
"Er no." Josh shook his head   
Donna nodded sagely " You can probably skip reading the rest of those."

Thirty minutes later Josh knocked on the door of the Oval Office. The President waved him in.  
"What have you got?"  
"The beginnings of an idea" Which had oddly enough begun when Donna told him the cricket scores.  
"Shoot"  
Josh took out a quarter and held it up. Then he passed his other hand over it making it seem to disappear. He held up both empty hands then reached over and pulled the quarter from the President's ear.  
"My granddaughter Annie can do that, only she uses a whole silver dollar".  
"Don't mock, Sir. It took me months to perfect not getting the quarter caught in my sleeve."  
"And this has what to do with Cuba?"  
"How about we don't send aid to Cuba?"  
"Josh," Jed Bartlet said with condescending patience "I know it's been a long day and obviously your brain is starting to overheat but for those of you who just joined us, the point of this was to determine how we can send aid to Cuba."  
"Thank you Mr. President, for clearing that up" Josh laughed "And in all seriousness the way we get aid to Cuba is by not sending aid to Cuba."  
" I think we've long since determined that neither of us enjoy it when I lose my patience" Bartlet said pointedly  
"We send aid to Peru for the mudslides, we send aid to Sri Lanka for the floods and we send aid to Turkey for the earthquake."  
"Aren't we already sending aid to those places?" the President demanded.  
"We are. In all three cases in joint efforts with the Canadians or the British."  
"So what are you suggesting?" A hint of understanding began to glint in Bartlet's eyes.  
"That we buy them out. You have a good relationship with Geraldine Alexander right? And John Marbury loves you; he'll sell Pierce-Forrest on it. So let's tell Canada and Britain that if they'll guarantee that those resources freed up will be sent to Cuba, we, in turn, will take over their part in relief efforts in the aforementioned countries?"  
"Will it be enough?"  
"I think so. We wouldn't be sending aid to a hostile nation, and since we're already in place in those countries, you can up our presence without in any way having to involve Congress. I mean someone's going to catch on eventually, probably Danny Concannon, but the fallout should be negligible"  
"Let's make this work."  
"I still want to run it by the Counsel's office and State," cautioned Josh, "but I think we'll be fine."  
The President beamed at him. "Let's make this work!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Joshua Lyman!" Sam called out as Josh walked into the Georgetown bar, Donna following close behind him.  
They made their way through the crowd to the table as Josh received a round of applause from his friends.   
Josh held up his hands for silence then picked up Sam's drink, since it was closest "A toast," he declared "To our Northern cousins, eh?"  
"Eh!" they all echoed as Josh sat down.  
"Do you want a Moosehead?" Donna asked dryly  
"Like a real one?" He looked around the bar as though they might have one on the wall they would be prepared to give him.  
"No like the bottled kind. You seem to be on a theme" she glanced at the others "I heard the finer points of the Parliamentary system on the way over."  
"Moosehead's just fine, eh?"  
"That's getting really irritating by the way." She went to the bar.  
"They've landed?" asked Toby.  
Josh checked his watch "Forty-five minutes ago the engineers of the Eighth Canadian Highland Regiment arrived in Havana, with more of their comrades en route. The British are mobilizing right now and they'll be there within the day."  
"Good job, Josh." Toby slapped his back in a rare show of genuine camaraderie.  
"Yeah, Rocky, way to pull a rabbit out of your hat," CJ chorused.  
"Didn't Bullwinkle do that?" interjected Sam.  
"What are you the cartoon police?" CJ glared at him  
"I'm just saying Rocky's a flying squirrel, I think a rabbit would be bigger than him"  
"Cause other than that it's reality based television" the Press secretary sighed " Anyway well done, Josh"  
Josh shrugged "When you got it, you got it. And in one more week Leo can have it back."  
Donna returned with their beers.  
"I've always felt a certain kinship to Canada" Josh mused taking a sip from the green glass bottle.  
"Josh you've never even been to Canada" Donna argued "The closest you come to a kinship with them is watching the Canucks, Rangers game on TV and then you argue with every call against New York."  
"It's a spiritual thing, eh?"  
"Drink your beer and shut up."

As Josh walked into work Monday, Donna met him in the lobby.  
"What now?" he demanded taking one look at her face.  
"Here you better read this, the media guys just found it" she handed him a folded over newspaper.  
"What am I looking at?"  
"The article entitled 'Man of the People'"  
"I meant what paper?"  
" 'The Forth Horseman'"  
" 'The Forth Horseman' has actual news in it?"  
"Well this time it seems to be making it."  
Josh quickly skimmed the page  
"Where is he?" he hollered, reaching the paragraph in question.  
"He's not in yet."  
"Call him, tell him to get here now."  
"Yes, Josh"  
"CJ and Toby?"  
"Haven't seen CJ yet. Toby's in his office."  
"Okay I'll start with him."  
Josh's pager went off. It had two words on it "Residence. Now."  
He showed it to Donna "Suppose he's seen it?"  
" 'The Forth Horseman'?"  
"Yeah maybe I got lucky and we've just declared war against New Zealand"  
"Why would we...?"  
"Donna, give me a break, it's six thirty Monday morning, I haven't even made it to my office yet and I'm already dealing with an irate President and Sam's stupidity."  
"But why New Zealand?" she asked taking his coat and backpack.  
Josh tapped the ad for flights next to the article "The power of suggestion is a dangerous thing."  
He handed her the paper "I'd like them in my office when I get back"  


  
Josh stood at the door of the Residence, "Please God, please, please, please."  
He knocked.   
"Come in"  
"Sir you wanted to see me?"  
"Ah, Joshua, do you know what this is?" The President held up a copy of 'The Forth Horseman'  
"You couldn't give me just one?" Josh muttered to the heavens, then aloud said: "It's a newspaper"  
"Could you be more specific?"  
"It's a weekly paper. You can get it for free in most coffee shops, clubs, bars and theatres. It covers the movies listings, which band's playing where, what play is opening, an occasional news column. I didn't think you read it, Sir"  
"I don't. Zoë left it here over the weekend. I thought I should try to get in touch with my younger daughter's world, so I picked it up over breakfast. Have you read this week's issue?"  
"Saturday night I read the movie listings."  
"Did you go to a movie?"  
"Donna dragged me to some British chick flick Masterpiece Theatre thing. She's trying to lower my stress rate."  
"Did it?"  
"It lulled me into a near trance"  
"Great literature is never dull, Joshua."  
"Well in the interest of not shattering that view point, Sir, I suggest you avoid the latest version of 'Wuthering Heights' since it's excruciating. Not unlike this" he added under his breath.  
"Did you happen to see any other part of the paper, Josh?"  
"I glanced at it, Sir."  
"Well so did I; and this, this was very interesting: 'Rory Cronin should be called Rory Crony. He is the relic of the kind of politics that embodied Daly's Machine. His conniving, disgenuine, self-serving approach is the shame of the Democratic Party'."  
"That has an unfortunate ring of truth."  
"Apparently Sam agrees with you. So much so that he said it to a reporter. Damn it, Josh!"  
"I know Sir, I know."  
"I thought we were through with these sophomoric mistakes."  
"So did I, Mr. President. Look I've got an APB out Sam, CJ and Toby. Let's give Sam the benefit of the doubt until we find out what's going on. He may have been misquoted or taken out of context."  
"What context would make this kind of stupidity okay?"  
"That's a very good question, Sir, for which I don't currently have an answer but give me a little time."  
"Josh, are you aware of how much we need Rory Cronin?"  
"Yes, Sir"  
"I mean I don't like the man but he is on our side theoretically and we need him."  
"I know."  
"Josh, I going to want Sam's resignation"  
Josh shook his head "Mr. President, due respect, you didn't ask me to resign when I insulted Mary Marsh."  
"Mostly because Leo talked me down."  
"Then Sir, let me go find out what's going on and then maybe I can talk you down."  
"If you'd said it to Al Caldwell, I'd have fired you"  
"I wouldn't have said it to Al Caldwell."  
"We need Rory Cronin just as much."  
"I know. I'll get to the bottom of this."  
"Fine. Go, get it done. But I'm serious Josh I'm not walking away from this."  
"No, Sir"

 


	2. Smoke and Mirrors 2

 

** Smoke and Mirrors Part 2 **

By The Bondi Gargoyle

Disclaimers in Part One

"If you'd said it to Al Caldwell, I'd have fired you"

"I wouldn't have said it to Al Caldwell."

"We need Rory Cronin just as much."

"I know. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Fine. Go, get it done. But I'm serious Josh I'm not walking away from this."

"No, Sir"

Josh returned to his office and found Toby waiting.

"CJ's checking with her staff and she'll be right in" Donna called from the outer office

"And Sam?"

"Still trying to find him."

"Try Mallory's," Toby suggested

"Mallory's?" Josh repeated

"Sam spent a lot of time with her when Leo first got sick" Donna filled in as she walked in with CJ.

"Okay, well try Mallory's"

"I did but I'll try it again"

Josh turned back to his colleagues "Anyone want to put a happy face on this?"

Toby and CJ looked at each other and then back at Josh with decidedly unhappy faces.

"Who else has this?"

"Apparently no-one," CJ began cautiously "But..."

"But what?"

" 'The Horseman' comes out on Thursday afternoon, but lets say no-one saw it 'til the weekend, the fact that it isn't in this morning's papers doesn't mean it's not going to be in the afternoon editions."

"Can you find out if they have it without giving it to them?"

"Tricky but doable."

"Then go forth, Claudia Jean with catlike tread and save us all"

"Kay it's when you make Gilbert and Sullivan references that you start to scare me. I'll be back in a bit"

Donna re-appeared "Sam's here"

"Send him in."

Sam took one look at Josh and Toby and the smile on his face faded "What's happened?"

"Have you been talking about Rory Cronin at all recently?" Josh queried

"Other than with you and Toby?"

"Other than with us."

"I think his name came up at a party I was at last weekend."

"A party where, Sam?"

Sam looked nervously from one to the other "A party with some of Mallory's friends, in Alexandria. Why? What's happened?"

"Did you talk to someone named Sheila McCall?"

"I talked to a Sheila."

"She's a reporter," Toby announced.

Sam groaned and slumped into a chair

"Just a piece of advice Sam, based purely on your track record. Start asking women what they do for a living, make it the first question after their name." "Yes, Josh" Sam turned to Toby "Do we know who has it?"

"CJ's working on that. We are correct then in assuming that she didn't tell you she was a reporter?"

Sam shook his head

"Could help," Toby said looking at Josh.

"Maybe."

"Does the President know?" Sam asked, dreading the answer

Josh nodded "Look, let's wait and see what CJ comes up with. Sam, go start drafting your apology to Cronin. Then you and I'll sit down with Ainsley and discuss what the possible libel ramifications are."

Sam stood up. He glanced again from Toby to Josh "I'm sorry"

Josh looked sympathetic. Toby just looked annoyed.

After Sam had departed Josh turned to his remaining cohort. "Tell me the political downside."

"I thought it would be obvious"

"It is Toby, but let me hear your take on it all the same."

"Rory Cronin is an extremely popular figure in the Midwest, an area we're doing badly in. He also walks a very thin line between being a Democrat and Republican. We lose him and we'll lose every close vote in the Senate from now 'til re-election. Furthermore it is not inconceivable that come the election he could back the Republican candidate which could cost us the Dakotas, Iowa, Indiana, maybe Wisconsin and Minnesota. Not necessarily the ballgame but still a hit it would be better if we didn't take."

"He's that popular?"

"A veritable Abe Lincoln for the new millenium."

"Pity he's a crook."

"Isn't it? Also Josh, there's the issue of the Radley Farm Relief Bill."

"I thought we had the numbers?"

"Cronin was part of those numbers"

"Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin? He's not going to vote against us, is he?"

"If we give him an out? He's never liked the bill Josh, it goes against the people who fill his war chest."

"I thought he was a man of the people, a champion of the little guy?"

"The little guy makes little campaign contributions" Toby held up his thumb and forefinger

"Okay." Josh sighed rubbing his jaw in frustration "Okay, let's just take this one step at a time."

When CJ walked back in an hour and a half later she looked even less pleased than at their first meeting.

"Who's got it?" Toby asked joining them

"Who doesn't?"

"Oh you're kidding!" Josh cried, "It's hardly Pulitzer winning press. Who reads more than just the movie section, except of course the President?"

"Someone from AP. It's going to hit this afternoon in the Post, the Times, LA, San Francisco; tomorrow in the Twin Cities, Des Moines, Indianapolis. Shall I go on?"

Josh shook his head, defeated.

"Sam says she didn't identify herself as a reporter and didn't tell him he was on the record"

"What're you saying, Toby?" asked CJ

"Tell them if they run it, we'll pull their credentials" the Communications Director said calmly.

CJ looked from him to Josh "We're talking about pulling the credentials of practically the entire White House Press Corps."

"Well that would make it easier to re-open the swimming pool" Josh observed

"Josh the entire Press Corps?"

"She didn't identify herself CJ, " Toby repeated "She put him on record in a social setting without telling him she was doing so. It's yellow journalism. Tell them if they run it, they lose access."

"Has it occurred to you two that the press doesn't like to be bullied?"

"Tell them it's about trust," Josh offered "If we can't trust them not to stab us in the back with a salad fork we're not too excited about having them over for dinner."

"Okay, I'll try it"

Toby and Josh looked pleased with themselves "That was easier than I thought," said Josh

Donna appeared in the doorway "Rory Cronin on line one"

"And surprisingly short-lived" Josh sighed as he picked up the phone.

"Hello Senator Cronin, How was your weekend?"

He held the phone away from his ear as the Senator bellowed a string of expletives down the line.

"So?" Jed Bartlet asked as Josh walked in with a status report.

"The clean-up's going well in Havana," the Acting Chief of Staff said hopefully.

"Can we send the Canadian engineers to deal with Cronin?"

"Probably not"

"How about Sam?"

"No he's digging a hole just fine on his own."

"That's what I thought. Cronin's seen it?"

"I swear in my entire life I've never met anyone who reads the front half of 'The Forth Horseman' and suddenly it's required reading for everyone in public office."

"Josh, hedging is just going to make it more painful in the end."

"Well Sir the good news is that we've kept it out of the majors."

"How?"

"The woman who wrote the article was a little less than up front with Sam about the fact that he was being interviewed not hit on. CJ told them if they ran it, we were going to go ahead and tear down the Pressroom in favor of a pool club and swim up bar. They all agreed out of hand except for the Times and when Carol tossed their guy out into the rain, they came around pretty quick."

"Carol tossed Ben Geary out?That, I would have liked to have seen," Bartlet enthused.

"That's the good news."

"Which means there's other news."

Josh rubbed at the headache forming in his sinuses. The President opened a drawer and tossed him a bottle of painkillers.

"Thanks Sir, but Donna keeps me well medicated. I can't take anything else for four more hours."

"What's the bad news?"

"Cronin's going after the Radley bill"

"A senator from an agricultural state is going after Radley?"

"Toby says Cronin gets his money from the corporate farms even if his support base is with small farmers, so he's never liked the bill much to begin with. Publicly he's going to take the stance that it doesn't do enough"

"Short of sending you, Toby, Sam and CJ to help with the harvest I'm not sure what else we can do."

"That'll make quite the soundbite, Mr. President"

"What does he want to back down?"

"He wants Sam."

Jed Bartlet frowned.

"This is a good bill, Josh, it helps people in desperate need."

"Sir, we need Sam. We need him if we ever want to get any more of these bills passed."

"When does Radley go to the floor?"

"Next Monday"

"Clock's ticking Josh, see what you can do."

All week Josh tried his best. Between them the Senior Staff talked to almost every senator personally, some of them twice, as they tried to shore up votes left by Cronin's departure. They still came up short. Josh tried to reason with Cronin who eventually stopped taking the calls stating that he'd laid out his terms: a public apology and Sam's resignation, and they weren't negotiable. While they were still on speaking terms Josh tried to point out that Sam's resignation was going to elevate the story from birdcage liner to a major piece but the Senator wasn't budging. As the vote got closer the President got more agitated. He strongly wanted the Radley bill and as it slipped from his grasp so did his willingness to forgive Sam's indiscretion.

"It's high time you all started growing up!" Bartlet growled one evening.

"Yes, Sir" Josh nodded. He was leaning on the back of the couch. The President was pacing the Oval Office so Josh couldn't sit down but he was so tired he thought his legs might give way.

"This is not Bill and Ted's Excellent Washington Adventure"

"No, Sir. How did you...?"

"I have children who grew up in the Eighties, Josh"

"Ah."

"I mean it though. Between Sam's sexual hi-jinks and your inability to think before you speak and Toby balling me out for every assumed slight and now this, it's getting out of hand."

"Yes, Sir"

"Are you humoring me, Joshua?"

"No, Sir"

"Really?"

"Alright yes, Sir. But if I may point out, Sam's actually dating Mallory again, I haven't shot my mouth off lately except when instructed and Toby... well no Toby's about the same but Sir, we're getting better, a lot better."

"And what would you call this mess?"

"Unfortunate?"

"But not unavoidable?"

Josh sighed, "No, Sir"

"Has Cronin given ground at all?"

"No."

Bartlet settled a little, moved if nothing else by the utter exhaustion apparent on his advisor's face.

"I'm not saying it's easy, Josh. I know what it will cost you but we both know what our job here is."

"And all I'm saying, Sir, is that we have a better chance of doing that job with Sam than without him"

"I'm afraid I'm not convinced, Josh. It's not your fault, you're putting up a good fight but unless something changes within twenty four hours of the vote, we're going to have to give in to Cronin."

"I thought we didn't negotiate with terrorists."

"Not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny, Mr. President. Cronin's a playground bully. The first day he beats you up for your Twinkies but if you give in, tomorrow it's your whole lunch."

"Then find a way to stop him."

"Yes, Sir"

"When was the last time you slept, Josh?"

"Last night."

"When was the last time you slept somewhere other than this building?"

"I'll sleep when I'm dead"

"Won't we all. Okay we're done. Keep me informed of any changes"

The problem was that there weren't any. Josh was increasingly aware that it wasn't just the President. The rest of the staff, and especially Sam, were looking to him to pull another rabbit out of his seemingly empty hat; and Josh would have done just about anything for a rabbit. Instead he felt like Alice: chasing, but never quite catching, one as it led him deeper into the warren.

"Josh isn't going to fire Sam, is he?" CJ asked Donna anxiously as Thursday afternoon arrived with still no solution in sight.

"Josh can't fire him, Sam's a presidential appointee, only the President can fire him," Donna pointed out, stepping around Toby to get to the filing cabinet.

"Yeah but a lot of whether or not that happens rests with Josh" said Toby

"See I would have said it rested with Sam" replied Donna.

"Donna, Josh listens to you"

Donna stopped, shut the drawer and turned around to look CJ in the eye. "Meaning what?"

"Can't you talk to him? Convince him to go to bat for Sam?"

"What makes you think he hasn't?" hissed Donna

She looked past them then, and CJ knew that Josh was behind them. She nudged Toby and together they turned around. Josh was standing with one hand at his waist, the heel of the other leaning on his doorframe, his fingers pounding out a tattoo on the wood. His jaw jutted out slightly, his eyes were aimed at the floor and he was shaking his head.

"Josh..." CJ began apologetically.

He looked up at them, the extent of his anger now readily apparent.

"You," he pointed at Donna, "go back to work. You two, in here. Now."

He turned and walked into the depths of his office.

Toby and CJ exchanged a glance and Toby let out a long sigh as they slowly followed Josh.

"That better have been a one time performance!" Josh hollered once the door was shut. "I'm sorry if your favorite playmate has got himself into hot water. I'm sorry if you don't like how I'm handling it but if you've got a problem you come to me, not to Donna. 'Cause if I see something like that ever again, Dante's Inferno is going to seem like Disneyland compared to the hell on earth I will create in this building. Am I getting through to you here?"

"Josh," said CJ softly, "we didn't mean-"

"We're done"

"Josh."

"What CJ?"

She realized that he felt their betrayal to sharply to be able to discuss Sam at present. Unfortunately Toby didn't share her insight or perhaps he didn't care.

"When Mary Marsh went after you, I didn't let you swing for it," he sniped.

Josh's face went white with anger

"You think I just held up my hands and said 'Oh well Sam thanks for playing'?"

"No he doesn't" CJ interjected

"Toby, is that what you think?" Josh stepped forward ignoring CJ

Toby shrugged and gave a half shake of his head. None of it was very convincing

"Toby, we don't have an Al Caldwell to help us out this time. I can't get Rory Cronin to the table. He wants Sam's head on a stake. That's all he seems to want. If you've got a suggestion as to how I'm even supposed to talk to a man who won't take my phone calls until I fax him a copy of Sam's resignation, I'm all ears Toby, but until then get the hell off my back!"

"Okay, let's stop this now" suggested CJ, "before we all end up hating each other"

"You're a day late and a dollar short, Claudia Jean" remarked Josh bitterly crossing his arms and waiting for them to leave.

"I'm sorry" CJ fell into step with Donna later that evening.

"Yeah"

"Really Donna, I'm sorry"

"CJ, this may be out of line but that was really stupid."

"I know, we're just worried about Sam."

"And somehow you've convinced yourselves that Josh isn't?"

"No but..."CJ shrugged

"It's his best friend, CJ, think about how that must feel."

"Yeah. I don't know what we were thinking."

"You were thinking that Josh is so busy trying to impress the President that he's willing to hang Sam out to dry."

"I promise you that is not what we were thinking"

"It sure came across that way"

CJ stopped walking "Do think it seemed that way to Josh too?"

Donna shrugged "I hope not but I don't know."

"I hate to keep saying this but could you talk to him, let him know that's not what we intended?"

"It'll mean more coming from you"

"Josh isn't currently interested in letting me finish a sentence."

"I wonder why?"

" 'Kay I deserved that"

Donna sighed, "The thing is CJ, I had a suggestion to give him but now I don't know if he's going to listen to me, because he's going to think it comes from you guys."

"I guess we blew it"

"I guess you did" Donna turned a corner and left CJ standing there.

"Josh?" Donna ventured cautiously into the office.

He didn't respond, just kept his head bowed over his work

"Josh, please."

Josh slowly got up and walked around the desk. When he was standing in front of her, he finally met her eyes "You know, I try to make the line between Senior Staff and Assistants a grey one where you're concerned"

"Yes I know"

"You've always had access to certain information that others in your position do not. You're included in certain trips or meetings, brought in on things much earlier than the others."

"Yes"

"For a start I find it easier to work if, when-ever possible, you know the full extent of what we're dealing with."

"I know"

"But also, I don't feel the need to make you stand on the far side on some invisible wall, we're all in the same boat, we work for the same master, we work toward the same goal. I'm not big on exclusive clubs."

She nodded.

"But if you think that somehow puts you in a position to join with members of the Senior Staff to gang up on me, we need to have a discussion about your future employment."

Donna looked wounded

"That's not what happened."

"Sure looked like that was what was happening"

"It's not"

"Okay" he didn't sound particularly sold.

"Look at some future date, we can talk about my loyalty and how regularly I prove it but for the moment I don't think you need the distraction."

"What do I need?" he demanded derisively

She was aware that he was feeling backed into a corner and when he came out swinging it was usually at her. She also knew he would feel bad about it later. It didn't stop it from hurting, however.

"You need to talk to Leo."

"You think I'm in over my head?"

"Yes"

He stared at her "Really?"

"Don't you? Josh, you're running out of time and you've run out of options. Go talk to him."

"I don't believe I'm hearing this" he turned away

"What am I supposed to do Josh, lie to you, tell you that you're handling this? You're not. We both know you're not. But it's the first thing since Leo's been gone that you haven't handled. You've proved yourself more than up to the task, you've won the approval of the President, the staff-"

"Oh yeah, that's readily apparent."

"Josh, I don't want you firing Sam to be your legacy from this job, you deserve better. Look when Leo was in this situation, he didn't handle it by himself"

"When Leo was in this situation?"

"You look at Sam like he's your kid brother and Leo looks at you like... well you know," she knew both Josh and Leo were reluctant to subject their bond to verbal definition. "And Leo brought you into the campaign and you brought Sam. But Josh when you were facing the axe Leo didn't fix it, Toby did. Maybe Leo was too close to it. Just like you are."

"Leo didn't have three-quarters of the Staff treating him like a pariah."

"So this is worse. Fine you win, but why don't you go talk to Leo, he might have some perspective."

"I'll think about it"

"Josh ,I know you don't feel like it right now, but I am on your side, that never changes"

"We'll talk about you and me later"

"Yeah okay" Donna said quietly and let herself out of the office

 


	3. Smoke and Mirrors 3

 

Smoke and Mirrors Part 3  
By The Bondi Gargoyle  
Disclaimers in Part One

"Josh, I know you don't feel like it right now, but I am on your side, that never changes"  
"We'll talk about you and me later"  
"Yeah okay" Donna said quietly and let herself out of the office

Josh stood in the middle of the room, restless and troubled. He couldn't remember ever having felt quite so alone. Every other crisis he had faced, his father, his near firing, the shooting and it's aftermath there had been people crowding forward to help him, to back him up and comfort him. He felt their absence sharply and found himself wondering how much had been his own doing. How hard would it have been to go into CJ's office and tell her he was worried about Sam? Why hadn't he tossed the ball into Toby's court just to see what the Communications Director came up with? And what in the world was he doing accusing Donna of anything? He looked at the door to where she sat; now uncharacteristically closed. He knew she was still out there, still working in spite of it all.  
He slowly crossed the room and opened the door. She did not look at him though her typing stopped as though waiting to hear what he was going to say.  
"You should go home" he told her. He realized that sounded like he was still trying to get rid of her and added, "It's late"  
"We've worked later" she commented, her fingers resuming their movements over the keys.  
"Yeah"  
He wanted apologize, but he didn't know where to start. Everything that came to mind sounded weak when compared to the extent of his trespass.  
"Well I'm going to go," he said finally. "Don't stay too long."  
"Goodnight."  
"Yeah goodnight"  
He went back into the main office and shut the door, realizing she had not looked at him once.

Driving home, Josh found that Donna's words were echoing in his head. He stopped at a light and drummed his fingers on the wheel. Accepting that he had no other choice, he turned the car and headed for Arlington.  
"Sorry for coming so late" Josh apologized as Leo let him in  
"It's okay, I wanted to talk to you about something anyway. Come through to the den."  
"Jenny asleep already?" Josh asked following Leo back through the town house.  
"Jenny went back to New York this morning."  
"Did she have a meeting or something?"  
"No, Josh I mean she went back."  
"Oh. How come?"  
"Because I asked her to." They had reached Leo's study and taken seats in the large leather armchairs.  
"Why?" Josh persisted  
"How is this your business?" Leo snapped  
"I'm sorry, it's not"  
Leo sighed, "It felt too much like being married again."  
"That bad?"  
"No, that good. But I'm not married anymore. Jenny wouldn't have even thought about coming back to me if it hadn't been for the heart attack"  
"And it's not just providence? The one good thing to come out of a bad situation?"  
Leo shook his head "My heart attack doesn't change any of the old problems between Jenny and I. And we certainly weren't dealing with them now. It wasn't the rebuilding of a foundation it was history and shock and pity. It was a better goodbye but it was still good bye."  
"Even with Toby and I taking on more of your work load?"  
"Work was a symptom, Josh, not the disease"  
"And I guess if you weren't dealing with it now, you weren't going to deal with it once you came back to work"  
"That's what I need to talk to you about."  
Josh narrowed his eyes suspiciously but remained silent.  
"You did a good job with Cuba, Josh"  
"Smoke and mirrors"  
"You gave him a solution. That's your job and you did it well."  
"Thanks, but I assure you everyone has already forgotten about Cuba"  
"Sam?"  
"Yeah, that's why I wanted to talk to you."  
"I figured and we'll talk about it in minute. Let's stick to the topic at hand."  
"Which is what?"  
"I'm thinking about not coming back on Monday"  
"You want some more time to recover? I thought your last check up put you back in good health"  
"It's not about more time. I'm thinking about not coming back at all. I'm thinking about retiring"  
"To do what?"  
"To be retired, Josh, that's not the point."  
"Why do you want to retire?"  
"Look, I should have resigned when the truth about my pills came out. I am a liability to the administration. Then. Still"  
Josh shook his head. "No."  
"Yes"  
"The President doesn't think so."  
"The President was scared. He didn't want to be alone without counsel, he knows now that he can trust you. It's time for me to go."  
"How can you say that?"  
"I've always been grooming you for this. Since the day I showed up in Hoynes' office to lure you away."  
"Yeah well I'm only half-groomed, the entire undercoat is a mass of brambles and knots."  
"You're not an Old English Sheepdog, Josh. This is the easiest transition we're going to get."  
"We don't need a transition."  
"I think it's time for me to walk away or at least step back."  
"I'm not buying this Leo, not for one minute. You have given everything you have to this job. You gave up your marriage; you've subjected yourself to public humiliation. I don't believe you're ready to walk away while you're standing on the five-yard line. It's not you"  
"I serve the President, Josh, in the best way I know how. And right now the best way is to hand over the reins to you."  
Josh got up from his chair and walked over to the French doors. He looked out at the dark garden, tracing the moldings with one finger, weighing his words.  
"I know you're scared, Leo"  
Leo started to argue but Josh cut him off, plowing on.  
"I know you're scared because I've been there. I was there a few months ago when you had your attack and I had to take over. I was there after the shooting when I couldn't get my head together. I've been there before and so have you. But I thought we had a deal."  
"A deal?"  
"I thought we got each other through it. 'As long as I got a job, you got a job'?"  
"That was different Josh, you were sick, you needed my help."  
"And I don't now?"  
"Not as much as you think"  
"You've never been a coward, Leo"  
"Careful" the other man growled  
" I've never seen you do anything that's motivated by fear, caution yes, fear no."  
"Josh I'm warning you"  
"Why start now? You don't want out Leo, you're just scared about what coming back is going to mean"  
"You are this close to getting tossed out of here on your butt."  
"Leo," Josh was gaining steam "You're not going to have a relapse, you're not going to get re-addicted. You didn't the first time around, you won't now. You know why? 'Cause that building is full of people who love you and care about you and will do anything in their power to help you and you can't just walk away from them. We need you as much as you need us"  
"You talk about fear, Josh. I think you're just scared to go it alone. You're ready. Trust me"  
"God, I'm so not" Josh dropped his head down linking his fingers behind his neck "Leo I've never had to talk the President into doing something he really doesn't want to do."  
"You do that all the time"  
"With you as a buffer, not on my own. I haven't seen him through a sit room crisis, through something like Colombia. If I ever saw myself becoming the White House Chief of Staff it would be when Sam was president not Josiah Bartlet, not that I'm likely to be Sam's first choice after this week. Leo, I'm in the deep water here, and it's rising fast. Don't walk away. I'll do whatever it takes to make it easier on you but don't walk away."  
Leo got up from his chair and stood behind Josh "Is this all stemming from the thing with Sam? 'Cause up until this week, all I've heard from every corner, including you, is how well you're doing."  
"I'm a politician, I lie well."  
"It's not in the best interests of my spies to lie."  
"Sure it is. Everyone wanted you to relax and get better."  
"I'm just fine and my spies aren't lying when they tell me you're doing a good job."  
"Yeah I'm doing a great job. I'm this close to firing my best friend for saying something we all agree with. CJ's barely speaking to me. Toby definitely isn't. And Donna..."  
"Donna would follow you to the middle of the Amazon and back"  
"Not if I told her to get lost."  
Leo put his hand on Josh's shoulder "Especially then."  
Josh turned to look at him "She called you, didn't she?"  
"Like I said my spies have no reason to lie. Josh, the fact that you're having problems with Rory Cronin doesn't mean you're a bad Chief of Staff, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary has problems with Rory Cronin and he's been in Congress since you were five."  
"The fact that I'm self-destructing doesn't exactly speak to my abilities."  
"Hate to tell you this but you're mortal too."  
"I know that"  
"And as such you have a few Achilles heels."  
"Which ones are we talking about today?"  
" The people you care about it. Today it's Sam, yesterday it was me, tomorrow CJ or Donna."  
"Leo..."  
"Josh, you're a brilliant negotiator, a brilliant politician but when faced with my problems you almost got yourself charged with perjury. You asked a call girl for blackmail material which she fortunately didn't give you since you undoubtedly would have broken a few more laws in using it and you would have used it. None of it was exactly your finest work."  
"No."  
"But in the end I think your weaknesses makes you a better Chief of Staff"  
"I'd love to know how you figure that"  
"Because they are also your greatest strengths. If you didn't care about people you wouldn't have been brought into this administration. Toby shapes the message, Sam writes it, CJ delivers it. But you Josh, you're here because to you the message is ultimately not about numbers, it's not abstract policies, it's about people. You have a great ability to see that. Just like your dad did."  
"Yeah I understand people just fine when they're on the far side of a legislative initiative. It's up close that I have trouble."  
Leo patted his shoulder "Some days more than others. Come sit down again. Let's talk about Sam."  
"I don't think we've finished talking about you"  
"For the time being we have," Leo said firmly but without ire.  
"Okay Leo, so what do I do about Cronin?"  
"I told you already." Leo smiled and sat back down.  
Josh reviewed the conversation as he followed suit  
"When?"  
"Senate Judiciary? Ranking Democrat?"  
"Dugan has something on Cronin?" Josh sat forward in his seat  
"Nope but he'd like to."  
"How does that help me?"  
"Dugan's office is next to Cronin's isn't it?"  
"Yeah"  
"So tomorrow you meet Dugan for lunch, in the Senate Dining Room. Make sure Cronin sees you either upstairs or while you're eating. Look at him a few times while you're talking to Dugan."  
"What am I talking to Dugan about?"  
"Doesn't matter, the Army-Navy game for all I care. The thing about Cronin is he likes to keep his enemies separate. Dugan's been threatening to investigate him for years, now it's going to look like the White House is getting behind just such an investigation."  
"We wouldn't investigate one of our own."  
"It won't change the balance of power and politically speaking a little housekeeping could be advantageous."  
"I can't believe he's going to buy it, especially since we don't have anything on him."  
"There's one more part. You call him and leave a message with exactly two sentences. 'We look after our own.' and 'Leo McGarry wishes him a happy birthday'"  
"Happy birthday?"  
Leo smiled to himself, "I'll explain later. Then you courier over Sam's apology and wait for the call. You'll get the votes you need for the Radley bill"  
"Am I blackmailing Rory Cronin?"  
"No you're reminding him of something"  
"Leo?"  
"Trust me."

Josh did exactly as he was instructed. Two hours after the courier was dispatched he received a phone call from Rory Cronin.  
" Lyman, I've looked over Seaborn's apology. Given that it didn't get widespread press, I'm willing to let it go, this time. We've all had a bit too much to drink and said things we didn't mean."  
"We appreciate that, Senator"  
"Do another count on the Radley bill, I think you'll find you have the votes."  
"I'm glad to hear that, it's an important bill. It'll do a lot for your constituents."  
"Well this is what I've been saying all along. I don't know why my colleagues have been opposing it but I've straightened one or two of them out. You owe me though, Lyman, remember that."  
"Of course, Senator" Josh replied consciously unclenching his jaw.  
Josh hung up the phone, stared at it for a few minutes, then got up and went into the Oval Office.  
"What's up, Josh?" Jed Bartlet looked up at him  
"I've just gotten off the phone with Cronin"  
"And?"  
"He's willing to accept Sam's apology."  
"At what price?"  
"None. Well apparently we owe him but we'll deal with that when and if it comes up. The important thing is, he's letting Richards and the others off the leash with regards to Radley"  
"Really? Well this is good news Josh. Well done, how did you pull it off?"  
"I don't think I did."  
"Then who-?"  
"Leo. But I can't quite figure out how."  
"But it's fixed?"  
"It's fixed"  
"That's fine"  
"Sam's off the hook?"  
Bartlet nodded "You might tell him to start finding out women's professions earlier in the game though."  
"We've had that discussion several times since this started."  
"Good" The President turned back to his work. Realizing that Josh was still standing in front of him, he glanced back up "Is there something else?"  
"Mr. President, I need you to demand my resignation."  
"Excuse me?"  
"I need you to demand my resignation."  
"Why? What have you done?"  
"What haven't I done?"  
"True but we've never fired you yet."  
"Leo's not going to leave you without a Chief of Staff, he wouldn't do that to you."  
"And you would?"  
"I'd prefer not to but I'd really appreciate it if you'd fire me. Though maybe at the last minute you could show some mercy and let me work as the Deputy Chief of Staff instead."  
Jed Bartlet smiled "He's trying to get out of it gracefully, isn't he?"  
Josh nodded  
"Fine, Josh, as of eight am Monday morning you can consider yourself fired."  
The President picked up his pen  
Josh coughed discreetly  
"Now what?"   
"Sir, you've just rendered me unemployed"  
"And?"  
"Sir." Josh said realizing he sounded particularly pitiful.  
"Relax I'm just 'joshing' you. Do people say that to you much?"  
"They stopped 'round about the fourth grade," Josh observed dryly.  
The President raised an eyebrow   
"And boy have I missed it," the younger man forced himself to smile  
"Okay. Go back to work. As of Monday stick the word 'deputy' back in front of your title and move back to the other end of the building. I'll call McGarry and tell him if he's not here by eight thirty I'm sending the Air Force Rangers and Abbey after him. One of those two ought to scare him, heaven knows they scare me"  
"Yes Sir, thank you"  
"You're welcome."  
"Josh," Bartlet stopped him just as he was about to step out the door  
"Sir."  
"I'll...well don't go too far away, okay?"  
"I serve at the pleasure of the President, Sir, nothings changed"  
"Good"  


Josh sought out Sam who was in Toby's office.  
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.  
"Come in" Toby called.  
As Josh stepped in, both men stiffened slightly.  
"I just wanted to let you know, Sam, I'd like the speech for Kentucky on my desk by this afternoon."  
"Why?"  
"So I can look over it this weekend, so that you can do rewrites before we're actually on the plane to Kentucky. It's a short flight"  
"Am I going to Kentucky?"  
"Why have you got plans that day?" Josh demanded  
"Plans to go to Kentucky."  
"That's what I thought."  
"It's over?" Sam visibly relaxed.  
"Cronin accepted your apology and you're forbidden to talk to any woman I haven't vetted"  
"Well Mal'll like that arrangement."  
"Yeah, I thought she would"  
"Josh, thanks."  
"Hey, when I dragged you out of the Gage Whitney board room it was for the long haul, you're not getting out of here that easily"  
They smiled at each other with the strength of years of friendship and Sam gave a slight dip of his head, for once at a loss for words. Josh nodded in acknowledgment and headed back to his office.  
He heard footsteps following him but didn't stop 'til Toby said his name.  
"What?" Josh turned around  
"I wanted to say... I mean...Josh I was..."  
"Why would you think that I would just abandon him? I brought Sam here and yeah okay now he works for you but that doesn't mean you've cornered the market on caring about him. And for that matter where the hell were you, Toby? What you figured if you left it all to me, you wouldn't have to take any responsibility if Sam actually got fired?   
"I...I guess I..."  
"Yeah I guess you did."  
Josh turned and stalked off down the corridor

He was surprised to find Leo in his office.  
"You know what McGarry, I don't think I've ever seen you in here without a suit and tie. Even on Saturdays."  
Leo glared at him "So he doesn't want Sam's resignation but he wants yours?"  
Josh shrugged.   
"Do you ever listen to me?"  
"On occasion. I listened about Cronin. Which leads me to again ask: did I just blackmail a Senator?"  
"No, but you rattled his cage."  
"How?"  
"When Cronin first ran for the Senate, lo these many years ago, he lied about his age. He was only twenty-eight."  
"So he was two years too young to be a Senator, decades ago. It's not exactly a blood curdling scandal."  
"No but it might be enough to start an investigation. The first domino."  
"Oh come on"  
"Do you know who he defeated?"  
"No"  
"An incumbent who had been in for many years. After the defeat the family moved to Ohio, some ties to tires I think, and four years later the losing senator's son won a seat in the House"  
"Angus Dugan?"  
"Angus Dugan Jr." Leo corrected, "Who would love to have just one domino."  
"How do you know about Cronin's birthday?"  
"Cronin and I used to be drinking buddies. He invited me to his parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary. The thing is, if Rory was the age he told everyone he was, he should have been fifty-one. I asked him about it and he came clean." Leo grinned.   
Josh stared in amazement  
"You have more of these, don't you?"  
"Don't you?"  
Josh nodded   
"I was about to impart to you this untapped gold mine but since you've forced me out of early retirement, you'll get them on a need to know basis"   
"What were you going to do in retirement, take up golf? I saved you from immeasurable boredom"  
"Yeah right. I'll see you Monday, and get all this junk off my desk"  
Josh watched him leave, still not quite convinced.

The Roosevelt room was empty and Leo carefully opened one of the glass doors and stepped inside. As he pulled out a chair, he took a deep breath and the smell of the place; the feel of the place filled his lungs. In his head he heard the voice of his physician  
"I can't keep you from going back but there's only so much stress your body can take, you've lived a hard life."  
"What're you saying Doc?"  
"That if you keep living under this much stress a second heart attack is likely and I don't know if you'll recover from another"  
Leo glanced out the doors at the flow of people. Donna and Bonnie were standing together deep in conversation. Donna was rolling her eyes and Bonnie was laughing. Sam was calling out to somebody Leo couldn't see, walking backward as he did. Ed and Larry were arguing good-naturedly. Watching them all, he understood something. This was where he belonged; this was his time, this was his place. There were some things doctors didn't know. If he walked away from all this, what would he have? An ex-wife who still appeared in times of great strife out of remembrance for what once was; a grown daughter who lived her own life and tried to have breakfast with him once a month; colleagues from the old days still re-hashing past glories; AA meetings. Life was meant to be lived and this was how he lived his life, if that meant he died six months or six years earlier than he would otherwise, so be it. This was his life, this job, and these people.  
"Hi Leo."   
He looked up to see CJ standing in the doorway  
"Hey CJ"  
"I didn't want to disturb you, I just wanted to say hello"  
"You're not disturbing me"   
"We've missed you" CJ told him "Not that Josh hasn't done a great job but we've missed you."  
"That's good to hear."   
"You're coming back Monday?"  
"That's right"  
"Well we'll see you then."  
"Yes you will"  
CJ smiled and headed back to work. Leo nodded and pulled himself up out of the chair. Stepping back out into the hallway, he turned around. Josh was standing a few feet away watching him carefully.   
"Don't you have something better to do?" Leo demanded  
"Probably" Josh replied unrepentant  
"I'll see you Monday" Leo told him again, this time actually meaning it.  
"Good" Josh declared, this time believing it.

Josh walked back into his old bullpen with a triumphant air. It was good to be once more in familiar territory. There was just one thing missing, Donna wasn't at her desk yet. The grin faded from Josh's face. He still hadn't apologized to her. She had disappeared Friday night with the other assistants, some girls' night out thing, and he'd decided not to cut into her weekend since they'd worked on almost all of them that Leo had been gone. He just hoped he hadn't done something irreparable.  
He tapped the bouquet of flowers he'd bought her on the way to work against his leg, eyeing her desk as though he could make her appear by simply willing it.  
"Sorry I'm late, the Metro's possessed by Satan," Donna announced from behind him "I had to walk from Dupont Circle."  
Josh whirled around  
"What?" asked Donna taking in his look of surprise  
"Nothing" he answered quickly, not about to admit that for a minute he'd credited himself with conjuring her from thin air "Here. Peace offering" he turned the flowers to hide the more bruised blossoms  
"Why Josh, it's not even February. Or April"  
"Very funny. Don't you think you should put them in water before they die?"  
"Oh if they survived the beating you just gave them, I'd say they're a hearty breed." She took them and headed for the vase she kept on her desk.  
Josh headed into his office expecting to unpack the box he'd put his things into on Friday but they were all back in their usual places.  
"Donna?" he called.  
"Be right there."  
"Were you in this weekend?"  
"I thought you'd want your desk back to normal, so I came in yesterday."  
"That wasn't necessary."  
"I thought it was. Here" she handed him a mug  
"I thought I didn't get coffee anymore" Josh accepted it.  
"Peace offering."  
Josh closed the door and set down the coffee.  
"I'm sorry I was a jerk."  
"Wasn't the first time, I doubt it'll be the last," she said gently  
"Yeah but I was really out of line this time."  
"You were."  
"And I suspect I hurt your feelings."  
She nodded, ducking his gaze  
Josh lifted her chin "Then for pete's sake, you don't need to come in on the weekend to make me comfortable and you don't need to make me coffee."  
"And you don't need to keep score."  
Josh looked confused  
"Josh I'm on your side, even when I don't agree with you, even when no-one else is, I 'm on your side. And I know the pieces aren't all back in place yet with Toby and CJ. If having your grandfather's picture and your Yale diploma back on the wall and hot cup of coffee in your favorite FBI mug on your desk help make your day a little easier I'm going to do it. And it's got nothing to do with whether you were a jerk last Thursday or whether you brought me flowers today."  
"Thank you"   
"That said. If you ever speak to me again like you did on Thursday, I'll break that diploma over your head and you won't enjoy where I pour the coffee."  
Josh grinned "Phew, I thought you were canvassing for sainthood for a minute there."  
"Not quite. And the flowers are very nice."  
"I really am sorry. One of these days I'll learn to stop taking these things out on you"  
"Well they say you always hurt the ones you love" she teased reaching for the door then she stopped realizing what she'd said. She turned back around. Josh was smiling into his coffee cup.  
"It's true," he said. "I mean it's true that that's what they say."  
"Right."  
Josh put the cup down. "Donna, if I had to pick one person to help me take on the world, if I only got one, it would be you."  
He watched her eyes get slightly misty.  
"If I told you not to get emotional would it do any good?" he asked with an exasperated grin that was mostly for show.  
"If you didn't want me to get emotional, you wouldn't say things like that."  
"Well I think you deserve to hear them, regardless of the consequences."  
"Thank you" she leaned over and kissed his cheek.  
"Friends again?" he whispered  
"Yes"  
"Good"  
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.  
Donna glanced at it and then back at him.  
"It's probably the lynch mob," he muttered.  
"Josh..."  
"Oh let them in."  
Donna opened the door and CJ, Toby and Sam filed in.  
Josh crossed his arms and ankles and regarded them with forced casualness "What can I do for you?"  
"You could let us apologize" CJ said quietly "for forgetting."  
"For forgetting what?" Josh asked  
"That we were supposed to be helping you do your job 'til Leo got back not hindering you."  
"I didn't need-"  
Josh trailed off as Donna nudged him with her elbow.  
"Go on" he said instead  
"Maybe you didn't need our help" CJ continued "But you certainly deserved a little more understanding. You were never the bad guy and we acted like you were and we're sorry."  
"It's like we voted you hall monitor," Sam put in, "and then got mad because you started giving out detentions."   
"Well it's entirely likely that I got a bit caught up in handling everything by myself" Josh allowed "Maybe if I'd admitted I needed your help on this a little earlier, hell, if I'd admitted it to you guys at all, we could have saved some of the shouting."  
"Anyway," Toby said, "We brought you a little souvenir of your term as Chief of Staff. Of the good part."  
From behind their backs Toby and Sam pulled a full sized Canadian flag  
"Ta-da! We stole it from the Canadian embassy," Sam announced.  
"What?" Josh demanded, his face falling "Sam, how many times do I have to save your butt in one month?"  
"He's kidding," CJ declared, shooting Sam a look that suggested he damn well better be kidding.  
"We bought it at a flag shop on Saturday" Toby clarified  
"Didn't you like the other story better though?" asked Sam  
"Oh yeah, right." Josh smiled at them as Sam and CJ ceremoniously draped the flag around him.  
"What the hell are you wearing?" Leo walked in "And when did we stop having morning staff meetings?"  
"We still have them," Josh protested, "just a little later. They're at eight instead of seven thirty."  
"Whose dumb-ass idea was that?" Leo demanded  
"The President's," answered Sam smugly.  
Leo regarded each of them sternly "Well that ends today!"  
Then he couldn't help himself; he broke into a grin. Looking at Josh he said: "Come on Dudley Do-Right, round up your people. We've got work to do." He headed for the door, Josh in tow.  
Josh glanced back at the others  
"Don't worry," Toby assured him "We're right behind you."


End file.
